Pro Focus: Checking It Twice

Race Inspectors Attempt To Keep Level Playing Field

HAMPTON — It didn't take long for skeptics to begin carping when Danny Edwards won six of the first seven Late Model races at Langley Speedway this season.

Nobody's that good every weekend, they said. He's got to be cheating. He's probably using traction control (an electronic system that controls horsepower and virtually eliminates wheel spin).

The complaints, of course, are equal parts balderdash and jealousy. Edwards can be that good every weekend and he doesn't have to cheat to be that good.

But living under a cloud is the price of weekly track success.

``Anybody who wins like we do hears talk,'' Edwards said. ``We're used to it by now. But teams would be better off if they worked on their car as much as they worried about us.''

Phil Warren was accused of using illegal tires to rule Langley a couple of years ago. Danny Baker was accused of trickery to dominate Grand Stock several years ago. Elton Sawyer and Bubba Adams heard all kinds of charges when they were running Late Models in the '80s.

But the men who inspect Langley's Late Models every weekend sleep well knowing they've done their job - not always perfectly, but always with every intention of getting it right.

``I'm sure some things get by,'' driver-turned-chief steward Butch Lassiter said, ``but not as often as fans think. Our people are smart, well-trained and honest. They know what to look for and they know the rules.

``But look at it this way: Teams have six days to cheat and we have a few hours to catch them. If there's a beef, we get it straight right there on the spot, later that night or the next week. I don't think my inspectors have trouble sleeping after a tough call.''

They worked overtime May 30, the night Edwards won his sixth race in seven starts. Lassiter's entire staff spent more than two hours going over every nook and cranny of the winning Pontiac.

``We wanted to remove all doubt and stop all the complaints,'' track promoter Wayne Wyatt said. ``Nobody who saw what our officials did can say we didn't look for traction control. That won't keep people from talking, but it satisfied us there's nothing there.''

Little-known fact: The apparent winner of the very first Winston Cup race was disqualified. Driver Glenn Dunnaway was busted for using illegal springs in June 1949 at the 3/4-mile Charlotte (N.C.) Speedway.

While cheating in racing isn't condoned, neither does it carry the same stigma as cheating in golf or tennis. It is, in fact, almost an honorable exercise since everybody knows it's going on.

``If it says you can't do something, crews will get as close as they can. That's human nature and it's not going to change.''

The numbers, Babb said, favor the teams.

``With 43 cars and 10 crewmen per car at a Cup or Busch race, that's 430 crewmen against 20 inspectors. It's almost impossible for one or two inspectors to make sure everything is absolutely right on every car. That applies to Langley just like it does at big tracks.''

One of the oldest tricks is creating a diversion. Crewmen botch three or four things, knowing full well they'll get their wrists slapped. In the meantime, officials have overlooked the one thing crewmen really wanted to slip by.

``Again, it's natural to quit looking after you've found two or three things wrong,'' Babb said. ``You make sure they've been corrected, so the crew gets away with something else. It's almost always true that car and engine builders know more than inspectors.''

That applies not only in the majors, but down on the farm as well. Langley has seven inspectors: the father-son teams of John and Jason Christenbury and Tony and Butch Lassiter, plus Kenny Lee, Shayne Laws and Allen Corbett.

It's their nearly-impossible job to keep everybody honest. After all, there are seven of them against upwards of 500 crewmen with winning on their minds and larceny in their hearts.

``We look at safety-related items first,'' Butch Lassiter said, ``then we check weight and ride height. Other than that, the competitors don't know what we're going to check before or after a race. It's something different every weekend - or maybe it's not.''

One Late Model star said he didn't want to be identified because some officials hold grudges. ``They come down hardest on guys who speak out,'' he said. ``I think they're mostly competent, but they're awfully lax at times. They're inconsistent and sometimes show partiality.''

According to driver Buddy Malish, most inspectors are ``fair and consistent and helpful.'' On the other hand, ``They have bad nights, just like every official in every sport has bad nights. Sometimes, you have to wonder what they're doing.''

Driver Joe Gaita said the sport is advancing so fast that some officials are behind the learning curve. ``The high-tech stuff like traction control has become affordable and easy to get,'' he said.

``These guys are as capable as short-track inspectors anywhere, but they're not engineers. They might not understand all the new stuff that's out.''

Lassiter thought about that for a second: ``Maybe not right now,'' he said, ``but give us a few days.''

The boxed "Langley tonight" may be viewed on microfilm.

Al Pearce can be reached at 247-4641 or by e-mail at apearce@dailypress.com.